[Federal Register: December 24, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 247)]
[Notices]
[Page 74547-74548]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24de03-40]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Bridger-Teton National Forest, Big Piney Ranger District,
Wyoming. Cottonwood II Vegetation Treatment
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The analysis area of 41,420 acres is located in the North and
South Cottonwood Creek watershed on the Big Piney Ranger District of
the Bridger-Teton National Forest. It is approximately 25 miles north
of Big Piney, Wyoming on the east slope of the Wyoming Range. All lands
within the analysis area are National Forest System lands, within
Sublette and Lincoln Counties, Wyoming The legal description includes
portions of: T32N, R115W; T32N, R116W; T33N, R114W; T33N, R115W; T34N,
R115W.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by February 3, 2004. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft
EIS) is expected to be available to the public in September 2004 and
the Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) is expected to be
available to the public in January 2005.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: District Ranger, Big Piney Ranger
District, P.O. Box 218, Big Piney, Wyoming, 83113. For further
information, e-mail correspondence to mailroom--r4--bridger--
teton@fs.fed.us and on the subject line put only ``Cottonwood
Vegetation Treatment.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: District Ranger, Big Piney Ranger
District, P.O. Box 218, Big Piney, Wyoming 83113 or phone (307) 276-
3375.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of this proposal is to improve Forest resource
conditions in the North and South Cottonwood Creek drainage, bringing
them closer to desired conditions. Attaining the Desiring Future
Conditions for each Forest resource will help restore healthy ecosystem
functioning and support sustainable resource use.
Alternative 1--Proposed Action
This proposal was developed in response to public issues identified
during initial scoping, changes in resource demand since the Cottonwood
Plain Implementation Study, and recently identified resource issues.
This proposal is also designed to improve
[[Page 74548]]
Forest resource conditions as identified in the Cottonwood Plan
Implementation Study.
Possible Alternatives
Alternative 2--No Action Alternative
Analysis of this alternative is required under National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. The No Action Alternative
also serves as a baseline of information for comparison of other
alternatives. Though this alternative does not respond to the purpose
and need for action, it does address some issues.
Responsible Official
Greg Clark, District Forest Ranger, Big Piney Ranger District, P.O.
Box 218, Big Piney, Wyoming 83113.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
This decision will be whether or not the implement specific
vegetation management projects and associated road and trail head
improvements, as allowed in the Bridger-Teton National Forest Plan and
Cottonwood Plan Implementation Study. The decision will include any
mitigation measures needed in addition to those prescribed in the
Forest Plan.
Scoping Process
The Forest Service is seeking information, comments, and assistance
from individuals, organizations, Tribal governments, and Federal,
state, and local agencies interested in or affected by this project.
Comments that were submitted during the May 14, 1999 scoping effort and
during field trips of the project area will be used to prepare the
Draft EIS, as will comments submitted through this public scoping
request. Public participation will be solicited by notifying in person
and/or by mail, known interested and affected publics. News releases
will be used to give the public general notice. Public participation
activities will include requests for written comments. The first formal
opportunity to comment is to respond to this Notice of Intent, which
initiates the scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7). Scoping includes: (1)
Identifying potential issues, (2) narrowing the potential issues and
identifying significant issues from those issues that have been covered
by prior environmental review, (3) exploring alternatives in addition
to the No Action Alternative, and (4) identifying potential
environmental effects of the Proposed Action and alternatives.
Preliminary Issues
The Forest Service has identified the following potential issues.
In addition, through the May 1999 scoping effort, issues have been
refined. Your input is especially valuable here. It will help us
determine which of these issues merit detailed analysis. It will also
help identify additional issues related to the Proposed Action that may
not be listed here.
Issue 1--Amount and/or types of vegetation treatments under the
Proposed Action and the effects on old growth and mature vegetation for
lynx, security cover for elk and other habitat, as well as Colorado
cutthroat trout habitat.
Issue 2--Forest health, specifically the high proportion of older
age-class conifer stands and declining tree growht, drawf mistletoe
infection levels in lodgepole pine, and high fuel loadings from dead
and down material.
Issue 3--Amount of aspen treatments.
Comment Requested
This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the Draft EIS.
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review
The Draft EIS is scheduled to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) in late August 2004 and to be available for
public comment in September 2004. At that time, the EPA will publish a
Notice of Availability for the Draft EIS in the Federal Register. The
comment period on the Draft EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA
publishes the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The
Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is importance to give
reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
Draft EISs must structure their participation in the environmental
review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to
the reviewer's position and contentions (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power
Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978)). Also, environmental
objections that could be raised at the Draft EIS stage, but that are
not raised until after completion of the Final EIS, may be waived or
dismissed by the courts [City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1022
(9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp.
1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 19800]. Because of these court rulings, it is
very important that those interested in this Proposed Action
participate by the close of the 45-day comment period on the Draft EIS.
This ensures that substantive comments and objections are made
available to the Forest Service at a time when the Forest Service can
meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the Final EIS. To
assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues and
concerns on the Proposed Action, comments on the Draft EIS should be as
specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to specific
pages or chapters of the Draft EIS. Comments may also address the
adequacy of the Draft EIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated
and discussed in the Draft EIS. Reviewers may wish to refer to the
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the
procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40
CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. Comments received, including the
names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of
the public record on this proposal and will be available for public
inspection.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook
1909.15, section 21).
Dated: December 17, 2003.
Gregory W. Clark,
District Forest Ranger.
[FR Doc. 03-31660 Filed 12-23-03; 8:45 am]
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